10 Aesthetic Naturals That Use IIFYM or Flexible Dieting

So, I’m sitting there this fine morning enjoying my bowl of Peanut Butter Cheerio’s when, as always seems to be the case lately, I see yet another misguided post about IIFYM (If it Fits Your Macro’s) or the term I prefer for it, “Flexible Dieting”..

Where do I start on the sheer misinformation contained in the posts I’ve seen posted on various forms of social media about probably the most misunderstood lifestyle choice in history? Here is a small pick of the gems I’ve seen lately..

Anyone who follows IIFYM will end up soft and puffy!

Anyone who follows IIFYM and in shape is doing steroids because you can’t get like that with the foods they eat

Why does everyone who follows IIFYM look like they don’t lift?

That middle quote is especially ridiculous coming from a fairly popular net “coach” – a sad state of affairs indeed for someone with a fair sized audience to be spreading such misinformation. I’ll certainly make a post about what IIFYM/Flexible Dieting REALLY is in the future for those who are unaware of how it works but for now, pictures are worth a thousand words.

I was advised by somebody I really respect not to make this post if it was just to prove these people wrong, but the truth is that their minds were made up and closed a long time ago – This post is aimed more positively to those who’s minds are still open to learning and to the possibilities.

So, let’s answer all of those quotes in this one post shall we? Lets say my WBFF Pro card win using flexible dieting was a total fluke, here are 10 NATURAL, aesthetic dudes who also use IIFYM/Flexible dieting (The list is in no particular order – that would be far too subjective and not the point of this post). Do you fella’s even lift…?

(Click pictures to enlarge)

1

Matt Ogus

Matt Ogus - Aesthetic and Shredded

One of the names most often associated with IIFYM or Flexible Dieting – you’ve likely stumbled upon some of Matt’s videos on Youtube.

Matt was who initially opened my eyes to Flexible Dieting. I’ll be real..my first exposure of him, I thought, “This guy is bullshittin’!! Why is he lying to people about eating Pop Tarts and being in shape!” (That’s the common fearful reaction of someone who doesn’t understand the concept of flexible dieting).

However, it was only when I watched more of his videos, saw the content that he was delivering with his coach (now my coach too), Eric Helms and saw that they were genuinely knowledgeable with the intention of helping people, I started to open my mind.

Matt is one of the most aesthetic dudes out there and his YouTube channel/LegendsofAesthetics movement is going from strength to strength – It’s a shame all those pop-tarts and burrito’s he eats made him soft though.. Trollolol.

2

Ryan Doris

Ryan Doris - IFPA Pro Natural Bodybuilder

The epitome of what EpicAesthetics and my vision of what being “Aesthetic” should mean – Enter Ryan Doris. One of the best natural bodybuilders on the planet but also somebody who has clearly taken this lifestyle and used it to grow from inside out .

Ryan carries all of the traits that I aspire to – Humble, intelligent, hungry, forever learning and what can you say about his physique? Definitely impressive for someone who “looks like they don’t even lift” and uses a flexible diet, eh?..We salute you, Mr Doris. Inspiring.

3

Kane Sumabat

Kane Sumabat - Likes Bacon + Nipples.

If you aren’t following Kane on one or all of his social media accounts, you are seriously missing out. Dude has had me laughing my ass off on more than the odd occasion with some of his quirky Instagram posts and videos – Kane has one of the least restricted diets you’ll probably ever see..all made possible because he knows the importance of tracking his macronutrients consistently.

He’s also pretty inspiring if you feel like you can’t be in shape past your 40’s – Kane isn’t exactly a spring chicken but you could never tell from his physique and sense of humour. I’d be pretty happy if I end up as badass as Kane in my future years.

In case you couldn’t tell by now, I have a slight man-crush on Kane.

4

Kevin Riley

Kevin Riley - The 3DMJ Behemoth!

Introducing another member of our Team 3DMJ family – Kevin Riley. I had to reserve a spot on this list for Kevin because he pretty much has it all : Phenomenal genetics, work ethic and though I’ve never met him personally, he seems like a thoroughly nice guy from what I’ve seen in his interactions in our private 3DMJ group.

Kevin earned his Natural Pro Card at the Muscle Mayhem show just recently gone in 2013

5

Alberto Nunez

Alberto Nunez - IIFYM Poster Boy

Alberto Nunez’ name almost always crops up when the inevitable question from the naysayers pops up, “So who can you tell me that has gotten in any kind of shape using IIFYM/Flexible Dieting??”

Berto is 1 of 4 coaches of 3DMJ (3DMuscleJourney – all of whom have earned Natural Bodybuilding Pro cards) who specialise in natural bodybuilding contest prep as well as off-season and program consultations.

Aside from being able to get into totally “Gross” contest shape all naturally with a very flexible diet, his knowledge of the anatomy and movement patterns is also second to none. There’s always an “Aha!” light bulb moment within every Alberto video that I’ve watched.

6

Chris Jones

Chris Jones of Physiques Of Greatness

You know who it is..Chris Jones, representing Physiques of Greatness!

Chris Jones of Youtube fame (He co-runs the channel Physiques of Greatness which has taken the Youtube Fitness Community by absolute storm over the last year or two) is another gentleman who likes to take some time out and enjoy the finer things in life – eating out at places like Denny’s and KFC!

While I doubt Chris Jones would ever call what he does “IIFYM”, this is a perfect example of somebody who has found a balance in his lifestyle that includes fitness which HE can stick to for life. Chris Jones is possibly the perfect example of what Flexible Dieting is.

7

Josh Hyaduck

Josh Hyaduck - Absolute Flexible Dietin' Beast!

Josh is another genetic freak ala Kevin Riley. With thick and full muscle bellies, he is a true mesomorph in every sense of the word – A physique who’s structure reminds me of former Mr Olympia, Jay Cutler. For his physique to resemble a former Mr O, while being a Natural pro bodybuilder speaks volumes about the physical qualities that Josh has.

One of Josh’s diet tips in an interview was, “not to be caught up in “clean” eating and fit foods that you enjoy into your daily macronutrient needs – There is no reason to be restricted to certain foods when dieting”..fancy that? Somebody who got in this kind of shape with no restrictions..

8

Chris Lavado

Chris Lavado - The Yuckster

“The Yuckster” is yet another member of the 3DMJ family that I too belong to.

Having had the pleasure of meeting this cool dude, Matt Ogus and Jeff Seid on their visit to my hometown of London after I turned pro, I can confirm that Chris is another gentleman who has not only achieved a great physique through flexible dieting but also developed his mind through it too.

The fact that Chris, Matt Ogus and Jeff Seid were ALL in the final stages of contest preparation when I met them while they were on vacation in London (They live in California) just goes to show you what can be achieved through flexible dieting. Know many other competitors that would go on vacation so close to a contest? Well, if you’re a flexible dieter, you can and still turn up shredded to the bone on contest day like they all did.

9

Mike Raso

Mike Raso - King of Deserts!

Upon first visiting Mike Raso’s FB page, you might think that you’ve landed on a fitness troll page – Pictures of Italian pastries, cakes, pastas and deserts can be found in abundance!

While I’m not always in agreement with all of Mike’s posts (Wouldn’t it be boring if we all did?), what I appreciate about Mike is not only his impressive physique, but also witnessing his changing thought process over the years and opening his mind to a different way of achieving fitness that fits in with a lifestyle that he enjoys.

This is the exact meaning of “flexible dieting” and Mike Raso is another great example of how flexible dieting allows fitness to fit into YOUR lifestyle, not the other way around.

10

Ray Querido

Ray Querido - Natural and Impressive!

Ray is somebody that I’ve only just recently started following but I’ve really admired his attitude and demeanour so far.

Like myself, Ray seems only interested in spreading the truth to the masses in order to draw them into the lifestyle instead of putting uneccesary obstacles up that might otherwise put the public off of joining in with this rewarding lifestyle.

His physique speaks for itself and the condition he gets in for his natural bodybuilding contests is just another irrefutable example of how IIFYM/Flexible Dieting just simply works!

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About the Author

Altug KopOn a never-ending journey for improvement, Altug (AL2) is a Pro Fitness Model, Online Aesthetics Coach and 12 Year Qualified Personal Trainer who created this website through a desire to help the confused public with a simple, cutting edge and unbiased source of information to combat the ever bullshitting Fitness industry! My goal is to help as many people as possible gain an aesthetic mind and body while living life to the MAX! Let's focus on the things that matter, NOT the insignificant stuff.View all posts by Altug Kop »

Please shut up when you have no idea what you’re talking about – It’s popular now to call people “Youtube Nattys” or “Half Nattys” because you’ve watched a few videos from trolls online that catered to your insecurities. Here’s a better video from someone who is on steroids about what’s possible and what isn’t…educate yourself before spreading things please.

So people who have unattainable natural physiques (the ones that real fitness enthusiast and pros alike can easily spot) and lie about steroid usage are naturals now? Fuq outta here brah. Why do the pros who compete never use IFFYM. Why are none of these guys on stage or winning shows and are stuck to the youtube scene? In the real word they know if they claimed natty they’d never be shit because they’d be so easy to spot it wouldn’t even be funny. Atleast people like Jeff Seid and Alon Gabbay can pull off the natty look, and even they are on some lighter cycles. Even with roids IIFYM will give you a shitty physique (aka a ripped one but not a solid top show one). You can eat all the hamburgers and tubs of ice cream you want, you will never get that shredded proportional show physique that most people strive for. IIFYM is useful if you’re on a cycle and in the off season(the only pro bodybuilder on cycle who I can think off that can pull it off would be Ronnie Coleman in his prime but he was a genetic animal), anyone whose truly natural cannot benefit from this idiotic style of dieting. Plus, the long term health problems and complications from this style of dieting are endless, I’d rather be that ripped guy in my 40’s and 50’s than that dude who does IIFYM and ends up in the doctors office having to take 10 different pills because in my 20’s I decided I was shredded from eating hamburgers and pizza. Lastly, your physique looks like shit, if you really are a personal trainer its an embarrassment that you can’t even tell who is natural and who isn’t based on their physiques. You also look like you can’t taken any negative criticism… have fun with your above average physique and your hamburgers and ice-creams “IIFYM” though right?

I’m going to leave this here because such an epically stupid post should not be hidden from the world LOL

I am a pro and so are half the guys on this list LOL try again..so I’m confused, did these guys not follow IIFYM? Was it clean eating? Was it the steroids? On 2nd thought, I think you’re the one confused.

That essay you just wasted everybodies time with (including your own) contained not a shred of logic, evidence or critical thinking.

For the rest of my readers with an open mind – here’s a great video based on EVIDENCE on what is possible naturally by my coach Eric Helms :

Agreed, have fun developing vitamin and mineral deficiencies and long term health problems while I’m in my 40’s and 50’s still kicking ass and you’re in a hospital bed with Type II 😉

Altug KopJan 01, 2015

It’s hard to debate with you my friend because you are throwing straw man arguments in from the start by assuming anyone who follows IIFYM doesn’t care about micronutrition and eat mostly foods devoid of nutrition. A good coach will ALWAYS give you micronutrition targets.

Two things I’d do bud – Read up more about IIFYM from people who value evidence like Alan Aragon, Layne Norton and Team3DMJ so that you fully understand it. Then by all means come and lets debate.

2) Read up more about what’s possible naturally and how big people have gotten throughout history without the use of PED’s. Eric Helms video is a great place to start

I appreciate your comments even if we don’t agree.

HeymanJun 30, 2015

Did you actually watch the Eric Helms Video you posted? According to him, Matt Ogus would likely not be natural considering his FFMI is higher compared to Mr. America winners from the pre steroid era.

Altug KopJul 02, 2015

Sure did – Matty’s FFMI currently is around 24-26 if he’s at 5’7 180lbs. Plenty of former Mr America’s in the pre-steroid era were around that. Grimek was at a 27 ffmi. I doubt Eric would be coaching Matt if he had any doubts about him being natural lol.

That was a JOKE – if you thought he was serious, then that’s your own issue for not understanding how trolling and sarcasm works lol. We belong to the same coaching group, 3D Muscle Journey who only coach natural athletes. Any of us would be morons to use PEDs while being trained by coaches who prescribe us optimal training and nutrition for natural athletes. We’d be better off going with other coaches who understand enhanced athletes and training better. Educate yourself.

Ironically the FOOL is you for not understanding that with genetics, bone structure, attachments, training age and work ethic these physiques are possible naturally. NOT possible for everyone but if all of those things come together, then yes it’s possible. (Genetics being the most limiting factor). Stop spreading garbage when you have zero proof or understanding of anything

IIFYM works. If you think that pro bodybuilders eat ‘Clean’ all the time you are somewhat naive. They use an enormous cocktail of drugs including daily shots of insulin on top of HGH & several stacked injectables & orals at the same time. Their bodies are in a stage of serious anabolism & metabolic turnover. A bowl of ice cream won’t even touch the sides.

Obviously some of the physiques in this list are not obtainable without drug use. To suggest otherwise is just ignorant in the extreme.

So basically we are in agreement then is what you’re saying? My whole point is that IIFYM works lol

I agree and disagree with your last statement – It’s true, these physiques aren’t obtainable by EVERYONE naturally. That’s not what I’m suggesting. There’s a huge genetic component that comes into play which shouldn’t be dismissed. However the ignorance is on your end if you can dismiss any of these physiques as “Not natty” before you’ve even asked the relevant questions. “How long have you been training?”..”What are their genetics like?”..”What are their muscle bellies/attachments/insertions/shapes like?”.

I don’t believe any of these guys are using – I could be wrong of course but I didn’t just choose any guys. I chose guys that I have experience of and who I feel have integrity from their online presence.